Barnaby Joyce

The Nationals Member For New England

New Parliamentary inquiry to examine Child Support Program: Joyce

02 May 2014

FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce has urged people living in the New England Electorate to be involved in a new inquiry into the Child Support Program.

The inquiry, to be undertaken by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs and will focus on how the Child Support system works including a number of important topics like dealing with under or over payments and enforcement options for payments, Mr Joyce said.

He said other discussion points will include flexibility for families and providing the best options for children in conflict situations, how the program fits with mediation and Family Assistance frameworks and links between the child support program and the Family Court.

Mr Joyce said the Standing Committee had created an anonymous, online questionnaire for individuals to complete, giving anyone with an experience of the Child Support Program the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the inquiry.

“They want to hear from individuals about their experiences and that is why they have created the comprehensive online questionnaire,” Mr Joyce said.

“I would encourage everyone who has a personal experience of the Child Support Program to go online and tell us their story. This kind of information will be crucial to our understanding of how the program operates in reality.”

Mr Joyce invited New England Electorate people interested in filling out the survey to click on www.aph.gov.au/childsupport and follow the link to the survey.

Anyone seeking further information including a draft hearing schedule can find it on the website or by phoning (02) 6277 2223.

Mr Joyce said the questionnaire should take about 20 minutes to complete.